Dispensing apparatus



June 17, 1947. J. DE LUCA I DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed April 21. 1944liillllali A. M m 2 a 2 FIEI .2

JoszPH DeLuca Patented June 17, 1947 mesne assignments, to William R.Warner & (30., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of DelawareApplication April 21, 1944, Serial No. 532,086

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatus for dispensing andadministering solutions. Apparatuswhich has been usedheretofore for theadministration of solutions, particularly for the intravenousadministration of solutions, has included a device known as a drip meterfor visually indicating'to the physician or other operator the rate oiflow of the solution being injected into the patient in order that therate of flow could be accurately controlled. Drip meters as usedheretofore have existed in the form of separate instrumentalities whichwere inserted into the tubing extending between the container for theliquid and the injection needle at some convenient point, preferably ashort distance below the container. This arrangement has necessitatedthe use of an apparatus consisting of several parts which has beendifficult to keep free from contamination and have required time andcare in their assembly in order to insure that the apparatus was inproper working order. It has also been difiicult to avoid a highbreakage rate on drip meters because they have substantially universallybeen formed of blown glass; Frequent injury to operators has alsoresulted through cuts because of breakage of the drip meters.

.It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus foradministering fluids which will be free of all the disadvantagesmentioned hereinabove.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatusfor administering fluids in which the container for the fluid and theflowindicating device are embodied in a unitary structure in which oneelement lends protection to the other.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus foradministering fluids in which a container for the fluid to beadministered and the flow-indicating device are packa ed and sold as aunit which requires no positioning of the flow-indicating devicerelative to the container prior to use.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a simpleapparatus having Very few parts which can be readily assembled anddisassembled, which may be readily cleanedand maintained in a sanitarycondition, and which will eliminate any possibility of injury to theoperator as well as reduce the possibility of con" tamination to aminimum.

Qther objects and advantages of construction of the apparatus, if notspecifically pointed out, will be apparent to those skilled in the artupon recourse to the following detailed description of what is atpresent considered the preferred embodiment of the invention, taken inconnection with the accompany drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the apparatus,

1 manner.

to be administered which may be any desired fluid. The container H3 isconveniently illustrated as being an open-mouthed bottle having asuitable closure la in the form of a stopper, preferably formed ofrubber or any other desired plastic material, and a supporting band M towhich a supporting bail Hiis suitably connected to enable the containerto be suspended in the inverted position shown from any suitable sup--port during the administration operation.

The closure l2 is provided with a vent tube i8 extended through asuitable opening provided in the closure so that when the containerissuspended or otherwise placed in the inverted position illustrated inFig. 1' air can enter through f through the closure l2 and the remainderthereof extending into the container, by frictional con-- tact betweenthe exterior of the device 22 and the interior of the opening in theclosure plug through which it extends. The flow-indicating device 22comprises a substantially cylindrically shaped body 24 provided at itsupper end, as viewed inv Fig. 2, withan opening 26 and pro,- vided atits lower end with a nipple 28 to which a suitable. tubing 30 isattached in conventional A nozzle 32 is positioned. substantiallyaxially within the body 24 of the flow-indicating device andcommunicates at its lower end" with a chamber 34 within the body 2Q.provides a partition between the outlet opening in the nipple 28 andmedicinal liquid Zi!,..which partition is provided with a nozzle 32.

In the assembly of the dispensing apparatus.

of the present invention, the closure l2, air vent tube l8 andflow-indicating device 22 are preferably assembled as a unit andinserted in the mouth of the container It! after the same is filled toany desired level, preferably less than full, with the liquid to bedispensed. During such operation the container IE! is in a positionsubstantially 180 reversed from that illustrated in Figs. 1 and The body24' sterilized in any desired manner, for-example, as

by being subjected to a high temperature in an autoclave. The dispensingapparatus is preferably sold in this form and can be packaged;transported and stored without any danger of contaminating thehermetically sealed interior of the dispensing apparatus.

When use is to be made of the dispensing apparatus, the containerclosure (not shown) is suitably removed and the tubing 30 is passed overthe nipple 28 of the flow-indicatin device. The opposite end of thetubing 30 is suitably connected to an adapter 38 and any well known typeof tubing clamp 36 is preferably positioned on the tubing to control theflow. The clamp is screwed to closed position and the apparatus isinverted as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and is suspended from anysuitable hook or hanger at the desired height above the patient who isto receive the fluid to provide the desired hydrostatic head for theadministration of the liquid. An injection needle or other suitableinjector (not shown) is then placed over the adapter 38 and the-clamp 36is opened slightly which will permit liquid to pass into the opening 26of the flow-indicating device and escape from the nozzle 32 in the formof separate drops which fall into the chamber 34. The liquid within thechamber 34 then passes into the tubing 30 and thence into the adapter 38andthrough the injector so as to expel all air from the tubing andadapter. Contact is then made with the patient, intravenously,subcutaneously or in any other manner desired. By viewing the fallingdrops in the chamber 34 through the transparent container I and theliquid 28the operator by recourse to a watch or any other desired timingmechanism can conveniently regulate the flow of the liquid into thepatient by simple adjustment of the clamp 36. 7

Upon completion of the administration operation the apparatus isdisassembled with a minimum of effort by merely removing the tubing 30from the nipple 28 and removin the adapter 38 from the opposite end ofthe tubing. The only apparatus then remaining to be sterilized at thepoint of use is the injector, the adapter 3 and the tubing 30. The emptycontainer is then either returned to the manufacturer for refill ing orit is of sufiiciently economical construction to permit of its beingdestroyed in the event refilling is not convenient.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction anddifferent embodiment of i the invention could be made without departingifrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown'in the accompanying drawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is:

1. In a dispensing apparatus for administration of fluid to a patient incontrolled amounts,

4 the combination of a flat bottomed bottle, a closure for the bottle,an air vent tube extending from the closure into the bottle, a flowindicating device connected to the closure and extending into thebottle, said device comprising a hollow member and a nozzle having oneend projecting into the member and its opposite end terminating withoutthe member, said nozzle being of substantial length relative to itscross-section, whereby liquid from the receptacle flowing from thenozzle at a rate insufficient to provide continuous flow will leave theend of the nozzle projecting into the member in the form of drops.

2. A portable metering type of dispensing apparatus for administrationof fluids to a patient comprisin a fiat bottomed bottle for containingthe liquid to be dispensed, a substantially cylindrical elementextending into the bottle, means within the bottle providing a dripnozzle for escape of the liquid from the bottle into the cylindricalelement in the form of drops, means for admitting air above the liquidin the bottle, and means providing a restricted opening for. the escapeof the liquid from the cylindrical element.

3. A portable dispensing device for administering liquid to a patient incontrolled amounts comprising a transparent receptacle for the liquid tobe dispensed, a transparent hollow member disposed within the receptacleand forming a. chamber, a nozzle projecting into the hollow member andcommunicating exteriorly of the hollow member with the said liquid, aclosure for the receptacle, and an air vent tube carried by the closureand extending above the liquid in the receptacle.

4. In a dispensing apparatus for administration of fluid to a patient,the combination of a liquid receptacle, a closure for the receptacle, anair-vent tube extending from the closure into the receptacle, a flowindicating device connected to the closure and extending away from theclosure into the receptacle, said device comprising a hollow member anda nozzle within the receptacle having one end projecting into the memberand its opposite end terminating without the member, said nozzle beingof substantial length relative to its cross-section, whereby liquid fromthe receptacle flowing from the nozzle at a rate insufficient to providecontinuous flow will leave the end of the nozzle projecting into themember in the form of drops.

JOSEPH DE LUCA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,202,163 Mulford et al. May 28,1940 2,168,270 Paisley et a1 Aug. 1, 1939 2,333,685 Schwab Nov. 9, 19431,040,142 Caraway Oct. 1, 1912 2,231,418 Trotter Feb. 11, 1941 2,214,260Ravenscroft et a1. Sept. 10, 1940

